Shashi Tharoor, who believes Twitter is an interactive Akashvani, tells HARINDER BAWEJA that his tweets have demystified governance
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| Photo: SHAILENDRA PANDEY |
It is an extraordinary interactive broadcast medium — an interactive Akashvani. With one message today, I can reach over two-and-a-half lakh people and that number keeps expanding every day. My visit to Liberia, for example, was the first ministerial visit in 38 years. It was ignored here in India by the media but through my updates and a couple of links I posted, India’s Africa diplomacy got more widely known because of Twitter. In another example, a girl from my constituency who was amputated in both legs after a railway accident is now getting offers of help from across the world.
So, are you recommending Twitter to your political colleagues?
I have told all those who have asked about it how it works, but the media controversy may not encourage many to follow my example right now. Only one Kerala MP, K Sudhakaran from Kannur, has done so. I can tell them that I have been able to demystify governance and sensitise people to the daily life of a minister. Of course, I haven’t shared any sensitive information from any political or government meetings on Twitter but politicians all over the world are tweeting. President Obama has millions of “followers” on Twitter and Hillary Clinton was tweeting eight to 10 times a day when she was on an official visit to India. The UK government encourages frequent use of Twitter and even issues guidelines on effective tweeting. Australian PM Kevin Rudd and Canada’s Leader of the Opposition Michael Ignatieff tweet regularly.
How did you discover Twitter?
My 29-year old aide, Jacob Joseph, opened an account for me in March this year but I began using it in May. A democratic politician should not resist a new communications medium. The name Twitter initially put me off but Jacob pointed out that Google and Yahoo were also silly names that are now household terms. I can tell you that a large number of politicians in 21st century democracies — including India — will be tweeting within 10 years from now. Those who are ahead of the curve are rarely appreciated.
The Prime Minister dismissed your cattle class remark as a joke but there was considerable outrage within the Congress party. Do you think politicians — even Indians — lack a sense of humour?
I have learned that what you intend to say is less important than what people understand. As Shakespeare knew, the success of a lightly tossed off joke lies not in the tongue of the teller but in the ear of the hearer.
Is the repartee man Shashi Tharoor now going to become boring? Are you being forced into a conventional political mould?
I have been tweeting throughout the imbroglio, so it’s for my readers to judge. The idea has always been to inform and engage, rather than to indulge in repartee.
Is Shashi Tharoor being forced to stay away from Twitter — just as you were forced to check out of the Taj and into Kota House?
Not at all. Twitter is only a vehicle — the message is the issue, not the medium. My party leadership understands that what I am trying to do brings into the party’s ambit a large number of people who would otherwise be indifferent to politics and the Congress. I just need to take care to ensure that the message is not misunderstood.
